Roost it far

I think Melksham will play next year. He’s only 32, very fit and has just given his body 12 months of rehab.

I don’t think Freo have what it takes to do anything in September. However I’d much prefer Max was in the team this week.

The next 2 are the toughest of the run home, plus GC never a pushover up there and the Dogs and Pies will be up for a fight. Finals have started. Get it done Dee’s.

Whatever people thought at the start of the season I doubt anyone here thought we’d be playing this well without Gawn, Petracca and Brayshaw and having Oliver in limp home mode. Not to mention having TMac playing the way he is as a key defender. Throw in some off season [censored] storms and it’s been a pretty amazing effort and shows some serious resilience has been built into this team. Now just give us some luck with injuries and it’s game on. Time to unleash hell!

I know loading is a dirty word around here but it fits our formline. Cameron Ling on the ABC Sunday pre coverage talked about clubs in the hunt putting in a serious block of training mid year and then tapering off coming into finals so as to be cherry ripe. He mentioned the risk is you likely cop some losses along the way. It could also easily explain Carlton and Sydney's drop off of late. The Flag hunt is wide open, if I was Sydney or Carlton I wouldn't want to be playing a full strength us or GWS come September. Gotta bag a win this week.

It's the loss to Carlton that annoys me the most, firstly giving them a 6 goal start and then the late umpiring when we had them on toast..... I haven't given up on causing some carnage in this years finals yet. If we can hit the finals fit there's no one in the 8 I don't think we can beat.....for now just beat Freo. There's a real John Northey vibe about us atm, I think we like being the hunters.

I love it, we beat a team in the wet for the first time since John Northey coached us and now we want all our tough games in the wet. I do however concur that rain will certainly help slow Freo's run and it strangely gives me more confidence espcially with Max out.

That's how Essendon play finals football these days, 7250 + (but who's counting). :)

Really hope Gawn gets up. Either that or Fullerton plays a blinder today and gets his chance........Unlikely either of these things happen so I guess we go in with no change. The run of Freo worries me but they're flakey........We're playing finals football from now on but so are 10 other teams.

Solid but now for Fremantle…..we seriously owe it to ourselves.

I know to us it's not but to the football world we've got a free hit. Hit them hard from the first bounce and don't let up. The last quarter scares me but the rest is milk and honey. Dees by 22...

Anyone remember the 2006?? final against freo when we played a big lump of a lad called Nick Smith for his first game in 3 years when Mark Jamar was injured. He got completely toweled up and we literally played a man down in a cut throat final. I think Fullerton is the new Nick Smith. For me it's a wise move. We're already missing enough talent.

Binman put me on igmore.....he's loving the peace and quiet :)

I believe Charlie Spargo wanted to try all other options and didn't want surgery......It's his last resort and he went under the knife yesterday. A ripping kid by all reports, also one of our best kicks so I'm personally looking forward to having him back in action.

And delicious

We still win this by playing it tight and contested.

Is Petty fit enough to run with Draper?

Are we going to play Fullerton? Draper will murder him. This is bad timing but surely the coaches have a plan for this? Essendon must be beaten.

We must have planned for this so let's see what it looks like. Who's coming in?

I'm of the mind that if we stay fit, can get over the suns on the GC, then we're in this up to our necks. The WC and Freo losses rocked my faith and then watching Petracca go down I thought all over. The last few weeks have been very good and I just don't see an unbridgeable gap between us and anyone above us. Put us in a Prelim V the Blues and anything could happen. People criticising Goodwin atm......have they missed the fact that he's just turned over our list mid window? I was pessimistic at the beginning of the season because I didn't see it either and maybe my renewed faith is premature but I'm very bullish on the Dee's atm.

I've no doubt we'll win well tomorrow. I think we're going better than many realise. That could just be me looking at the ladder and seeing us in 8 point games almost all the way home. The teams 3-11 are not better than us.

Probably best he plays a good game or 2 at Casey first

I'm potentially the one about to wear egg re. Jefferson. He's certainly taken some solid strides this season but the calls to play him feel very premature.

Would love Waterman but he’ll stay put Im guessing

I say we win the last 8 and hit the finals at speed..............My dream is to beat Collingwood in round 23 and in the first week of the finals. Then roll the Bombers in a semi and Carlton in a Prelim. Then roll the Swans in the GF with Gawn giving Grundy a Masterclass and Oliver winning the Norm Smith.....Seriously folks could footy life get any better than that?